World News - 92-Year-Old Dies In Shootout With Police Cops Say Officers Were Justified Because Woman Shot At Them First

A police official said narcotics officers were justified in returning fire on a 92-year-old woman they shot to death after she shot them as they tried to serve a warrant at her house. Neighbors and relatives said it was a case of mistaken identity. But police said the woman, identified as Kathryn Johnston, was the only resident in the house at the time and had lived there for about 17 years. "I'm mad as hell! The neighbors know where the drugs are — ask the neighbors!" Johnston's niece, Sarah Dozier, shouted to reporters. Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said the officers had a legal warrant and "knocked and announced" before they forced open the door. He said they were justified in shooting once they were fired upon. As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., "as we have it right now, the female opened fire on the officers. The officers returned fire, and struck and killed her," Dreher said... http://www.cbsnews.com

Nigerian militants in speedboats have kidnapped seven foreign oil workers from a ship off the coast of the Niger Delta, Italian oil firm Eni says. Eighty-three workers were on the supply ship when it was attacked by 10 armed men, the company said. The kidnapped workers are from Finland, Italy the Philippines, Poland, Romanian, the UK, Oil workers are regularly abducted in Nigeria by gangs saying they want a bigger share of oil revenues. The BBC's Alex Last says the line between criminal gangs and political militants is often blurred. Eni said the remaining 76 members of the crew are in good health and no damage to the ship was reported. A series of attacks in Nigeria's main oil producing region has cut output by about 25% this year. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6172546.stm

Mortgage applications fell for the first time in three weeks despite a dip in mortgage rates to their lowest level since January, an industry trade group said Wednesday.The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and purchasing loans, for the week ended Nov. 17 fell 3.7%.Borrowing costs on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, excluding fees, averaged 6.13%, down 0.02 percentage point from the previous week, and well below a four-year high 6.86% in June. Interest rates were also below year-ago levels of 6.26%.The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was at its lowest level since the week ended Jan. 20, when it reached 6.04%....http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/housing/2006-11-22-mortgage-apps_x.htm?csp=34

The Iraqi death toll hit a record high in October, with more than 3,700 people losing their lives in the ongoing violence, according to a UN report. The majority of the 3,709 people who died were killed in sectarian attacks - nearly 200 more than in the previous record month of July. The brunt of the violence was borne in Baghdad, while the report also noted that women were increasingly victims. The UN bases its figures on data collected by the Iraqi Health Ministry. "The civilian population of Iraq continues to be victims of terrorist acts, roadside bombs, drive-by shootings, cross fire between rival gangs, or between police and insurgents, kidnappings, military operations, crime and police abuse," the report said. It also made reference to the growing numbers of unidentified bodies which turn up in various areas around the capital. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6172660.stm

A senior North Korean official has said the North does not intend to abandon its nuclear programme when it returns to talks on the subject, reports say. Deputy foreign minister Kang Sok-ju said the North had not tested a nuclear weapon last month to then get rid of them, according to Japanese media. North Korea recently agreed to return to stalled multi-national talks, which could resume next month. Japan had said Pyongyang must renounce its nuclear plans before talks restart. "Why would we abandon nuclear weapons?" Mr Kang was quoted by Japan's NHK television as saying. "Are you saying we conducted a nuclear test in order to abandon them?" When asked if North Korea planned to demand the US lift financial sanctions imposed a year ago, Mr Kang replied: "Of course". Mr Kang's comments were made to reporters as he passed through Beijing airport on his way home after a private trip to Russia. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6172038.stm

Researchers have been scouring rivers in Europe and the US for traces of cocaine consumption. The result: Cocaine use is probably much greater than previously assumed -- and New Yorkers are the biggest coke-heads of all. Last year, a study instigated by SPIEGEL ONLINE made big headlines: Experts had foraged Germany's rivers for a substance produced by the human body during cocaine consumption, and the results were bountiful. The extrapolated numbers revealed, among other things, that residents around the river Rhine's drainage basin near Düsseldorf consume roughly 11 tons of cocaine each year. The street value: around €1.64 billion.Now the experts at Nuremberg's Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research (IBMP) have expanded their method to other EU countries and the US. The results are similar to those of 2005: Previous official estimates for cocaine use, which rely heavily on police statistics, are apparently way too low....http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,450078,00.html